News

Ten As at A-level? That will be a pass, then

WITH 10 A grades at A-level, Marius Ostrowski set a school record at Eton college last week - and starkly illustrated the growing debate over the worth of the whole exam system.

Ostrowski, from Epsom, Surrey, whose parents came to Britain from Germany, opened his results envelope to see A-grades in French, German, music, Latin, Greek, maths, further maths, history, economics and English.

Ostrowski, 18, said his parents - an Open University lecturer and a Mercedes executive - were "not surprised, but they were pleased". He added that he was primarily motivated by "love of the subjects" and "the fact I am good at them".

Although his performance is exceptional, Ostrowski illustrates the problem caused by this year's glut of As in an exam system that is no longer equipping universities to pick the best applicants for degree courses.

A quarter of all papers sat won the top grades, with independent and selective